Chapter 64 Is Something Up?

Chapter 64 Is Something Up?

Rebecca's POV

Today's practice ran late, so I walked out quickly.

I still didn't know why Grace had suddenly called me last night. All I knew was that she'd asked to meet today, saying she wanted to talk to me about Steven.

I understood that I should really keep my distance from Steven and his friends.

But Grace had always left a good impression on me, and I didn't want to let her down.

Just as I was about to leave, Alfonso called out to me, "Rebecca, you forgot your bag."

I quickly turned back, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Sorry, I was in too much of a rush."

Alfonso waved his hand. "It's fine. Do you have something urgent today?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I have some things to take care of."

Alfonso patted my shoulder. "Rebecca, you're a very smart girl. I want you to know that I value you."

When he said that, I felt even more guilty.

I really wasn't on my game during practice today—I made way more mistakes than usual. I lowered my head and apologized. "I'm sorry, Alfonso. I'll get my personal stuff sorted out as soon as possible."

Alfonso smiled. "Rebecca, it's okay. Take care of your business first. I'm looking forward to seeing how you do tomorrow."

I put on my bag and headed toward the door. Now I actually felt less rushed than before.

Alfonso really was such a gentle and considerate person. With Serena's old temper, if I'd made this many mistakes in one day, I would've been chewed out on the spot.

Not only didn't he blame me, but he also took the initiative to let me handle my own business first, and even encouraged me to do well tomorrow. He really deserved respect.

But I really did need to go meet Grace now. When I got to the café, I saw Grace sitting by the window. She'd noticed me early and waved at me.

I walked quickly over and sat down across from her. "Grace, why did you suddenly call me last night?"

Grace looked at me a bit awkwardly and asked carefully, "Rebecca, did you and Steven have a fight?"

I rejected that idea in my mind. We couldn't really call it a fight—it was more like Steven choosing to leave on his own.

My relationship with him wasn't something I could explain in just a sentence or two.

I thought about it seriously, then finally shook my head. "I don't think so."

Just then, dessert was brought to the table. She pushed the cake toward me.

"Rebecca, would you mind taking some time to hear about what they went through before?"

I stared at the cake and pushed down my emotions.

Even though I'd been curious before, I now knew I should pull myself out of this.

I shouldn't invest so much curiosity in Steven's life anymore.

What I should do now was cut off the connection between him and me, and stop moving forward.

Maybe agreeing to come out today was a mistake, and I definitely shouldn't be sitting here listening to Grace tell stories about their past.

I picked up my bag from the side. "Grace, Steven and I aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. You should be telling these stories to someone who really matters, like the girl Steven's always liked."

Grace reached out to stop me, her eyes showing clear unease.

"He loves you. I don't believe you haven't noticed at all."

I froze completely when I first heard that. My first reaction was to think it was impossible—how could Steven love me? Wasn't he always in love with that girl from his childhood?

But Grace's expression was firm, not at all like she was just trying to comfort me. I sat back down in silence and started seriously thinking about this question: Did Steven love me?

Grace said I knew it in my heart, but did I really understand?

I thought I didn't know, but her words still kept me in my seat.

Grace pushed the cake toward me again. "You just got out of practice, you probably haven't eaten yet. Let's eat and talk."

I nodded, agreeing to stay.

Grace took a sip of coffee. "You've probably already seen that scar on Steven's arm, right?"

Of course I'd seen that scar. I was shocked at the time, and I genuinely felt bad for him.

But he clearly didn't want to bring up that experience on his own, especially what was behind that scar.

I answered quietly, "I know."

Grace seemed to be pulled back into some memory. Her expression suddenly became heavy. "Actually, that's just the part others can see at a glance."

"Besides that, Jeffrey has injuries in many other places—he was seriously hurt on his chest, abdomen, and thighs."

I was shocked that Jeffrey had been through so many terrible things, yet could still maintain his current optimistic attitude.

If Grace hadn't told me herself today, I never would have connected him with those injuries. In my eyes, he'd always been a cheerful person who loved to joke around.

Grace's hand holding the coffee cup started to tremble. Her lips turned pale, and tears were about to fall any second.

Her voice tightened. "Rebecca, do you know? That mission—thirty-four people went out, and in the end, only four came back alive."

I froze completely when I heard that number, my fork stopping mid-air.

I'd never really imagined a scene like that. Out of thirty-four people, only four came back alive—how heavy must the burden be for those four?

She looked up at me. "Rebecca, Jeffrey told me that Steven's injuries were no lighter than his."

"Because he was the captain, he always stood in front of everyone. As long as backup hadn't arrived, he wouldn't allow himself to fall."

My heart clenched suddenly. I couldn't imagine how hard Steven must have fought to keep standing in front of them.

A tear slid down Grace's cheek. "Jeffrey told me that by then, there was blood everywhere. They were surrounded by enemies and could barely see any hope. It was Steven standing at the front that made them feel they still had a chance to survive."

"Even when a bullet went through his chest, he didn't fall right away."

I'd completely lost my appetite. The dessert in front of me had lost all flavor.

I'd always known Steven was a hero, a soldier who deserved respect. But I never knew they'd been through this level of life-and-death situation.

Grace wiped the tears from her eyes with a tissue, her voice still a bit hoarse. "Rebecca, it's precisely because they suffered such severe physical and mental trauma that they were forced to take leave."

"I'm really grateful that Jeffrey was one of those four, that he was one who came back alive." A smile returned to her face. "I used to always feel like there was plenty of time, that everything could wait. But after learning all this, I don't want to put it off anymore."

"We're planning to get married during his leave. If you get the chance, you and Steven could come witness it together."

She stood up, looking at me with determination. "Rebecca, you're a smart girl. Think seriously about how you really feel about Steven."

"Don't wait until you've really lost your chance to suddenly realize what you care about. We can all see that Steven loves you—so what about you?"